Product Description

Pages from a small (3 1/4" x 4") notebook that had been used as a makeshift scrapbook. The pages have been signed by some of the early Playboy Playmates, some of them the most significant names in it's history. The signatures include Marilyn Monroe, Jayne Mansfield, Bettie Page, Bunny Yeager, Stella Stevens (Playmate of Month Jan 1960), Ellen Stratton (Playmate Of Month Dec 1959, Playmate Of Year 1960), Kim Novak, Marilyn Hanold (Playmate Of Month June 1959), Eleanor Bradley (Playmate Of Month Feb 1959), June Wilkinson and Linda Gamble (Playmate Of Month April 1960, Playmate Of Year 1961). Marilyn was of course the magazine's first Playmate, or Sweetheart Of The Month as she was titled in that first issue. Bettie Page was Playmate in January 1955, and Jayne Mansfield the next month. Bunny Yeager was one of the top models of her day, before going behind the camera and making her living as a photographer. She took many photos that appeared in the early days of Playboy, including Bettie Page's famous Playmate photo from January 1955, though never a Playmate herself. A pictorial of models photographed by her appeared in the September 1959 issue. June Wilkinson was never a Playmate, but appeared numerous times in Playboy, mostly in 1959 and 1960, appearing on the cover in November 1960. Kim Novak was never a Playmate either, but appeared in a pictorial in the magazine in October 1959. All the signatures are signed on separate pages, except for Bettie Page and Bunny Yeager, which are signed together. Four of the pages (Marilyn Monroe, Jayne Mansfield, Ellen Stratton and Linda Gamble) are no longer attached to the rest of the notebook. Marilyn also wrote Norma Jean Dougherty under her signature (along with the date 1960), which was her name during her first marriage. The page had also gotten damp at some point, causing her signature to have a bleeding effect. It lends an interesting appearance to an otherwise excellent signature. Ellen Stratton also added "PMOY 1960"The pages were found inside a February 1961 copy of the magazine, which is also included. I obtained this and a number of other vintage copies of Playboy that were from the estate of Dan (Oberholtz) Diamond, a prominent Kansas City area DJ and collector for decades. Most of the magazines came from the St Louis Playboy Club, that individuals would sign as they were visiting. This issue is believed to have been signed in Chicago, in the original Playboy Club and Mansion. As contextual provenance, I also have a vintage Playboy signed on the cover by Marilyn Monroe, Jayne Mansfield, Bettie Page and Bunny Yeager, which is also available here